Rejected Heiress, Reigning Queen novel Chapter 229

The Lockwood family and Phoebe were essentially Emma's sole emotional lifelines during her darkest days.

To outsiders, it looked like six years abroad had simply faded her connections with the people back home.

But the truth was, to survive the isolation, she had relentlessly replayed those happy memories in her mind on a loop, making her deeply psychologically dependent on those bonds.

"Breaking an emotional addiction takes time. Feeling your heart soften and break for them isn't your fault."

Carter guided her gently, his eyes filled with profound heartache.

Emma seemed to experience a sudden epiphany.

A relieved, easy smile graced her lips as she teased, "I didn't realize Mr. Harrington was so well-versed in psychology."

"I just know you."

The honest confession slipped out of Carter before he could stop it, leaving Emma stunned.

Was that a confession?

"No, I mean, as a competent business partner, it's my job to understand you."

Carter quickly covered his tracks, fully remembering how often Emma had drawn the boundary that they were strictly partners.

He had to constantly prove he was respecting her limits, terrified she would think he was overstepping.

"You certainly are a very competent partner."

Emma laughed, though for some unexplainable reason, his quick correction left a hollow sting of disappointment in her chest.

She masked her emotions flawlessly. Even though Carter was watching her closely from the corner of his eye, he couldn't detect a single crack in her armor.

Emma was now suddenly responsible for two grown men pretending to be invalids. Changing their bandages wasn't physically exhausting, but their relentless antics were draining her sanity.

"Emma, my chest hurts."

"Honey, my arm hurts."

"Emma, let's verify the pharmaceutical ingredients."

"Honey, I wanted to discuss the medicated oil factory with you."

With 'Honey' ringing in her left ear and 'Emma' ringing in her right, three days of the circus broke her.

She bolted.

"Julian, why do I feel like Travis is acting completely deranged?"

When Carter constantly called out to her, it made sense—he was putting on a show for the staff, and honestly, he just had a clingy streak. She found it perfectly normal.

"Travis, marriage isn't a game. She doesn't love you like that, and I will never let you put her in the position of hearing your confession. All you'll do is suffocate her with pressure. What do you think is going to happen? Do you want to confess and then never see her again?"

Julian saw things with crystal clarity. Emma relied on Travis, but only as a brother in arms. There was nothing but pure, unclouded platonic affection in her eyes when she looked at him.

But the way she looked at Carter... that was layered with emotions she hadn't even unpacked yet.

Regardless of whether real love was already blooming between them, even if she and Carter divorced later due to a lack of feelings, it wouldn't fracture her world or their dynamic.

But Travis was different. If he dropped that bomb, Emma would feel impossibly awkward and riddled with guilt for not returning his feelings. Knowing her, she would completely distance herself.

Travis understood exactly what he meant.

He clenched his fists in bitter frustration, refusing to fully surrender as he asked one last question. "And what if... what if her feelings for me change into something more than just colleagues?"

"Then I won't stop you."

Upstairs, oblivious to the battle between her friends, Emma was buzzing with excitement as she chatted with Clara.

"Oh, right, Emma. Didn't you always tell me about your best friend from high school? Phoebe Sterling, right? I'm going to be a guest judge for a major fashion show when I get back, and I've heard her name tossed around. She actually has a pretty solid reputation in the industry."

Emma fell silent for a moment. Phoebe had been obsessed with fashion design since they were kids. Even in middle school, she was always sketching little models in different outfits, possessing a raw, innate sense of style.

"I'm planning to watch the show. If her designs still have that spark of genius, I'm thinking about signing her to my label. It'll be a good way to help you take care of her."